Federal Court in Pennsylvania Rules in Favor of Sunday Blue Law

A special three-judge Federal court yesterday rejected arguments that Pennsylvania’s Sunday sales ban violated the First Amendment on freedom of religion and upheld the law.

The decision clears the way for district attorney’s in the state’s 67 counties to enforce a 1959 amendment, which spells out items that may not be sold on Sundays and raises penalties to a maximum $200 fine or 30 days in Jail. The ruling was only on the amendment and not on the 1939 blue law banning Sunday sales which had also been challenged.